Fruit splitting machine



Aug. 11, 1964 s. H. CREED ETAL 3,144,061

I FRUIT SPLITTING MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 30, 1956 17 Sheets-Sheet 1 F-IIE-I 1 64 u u A 7o 4 65 v '72s 4 I 729 I I g l l I. I 7 722 INVENTORS SHERMAN H. CREED 'SANDOR OSIIMMA ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1964 s. H. CREED ETAL FRUIT SPLITTING MACHINE 1,7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Nov. 30, 1956 INVENTORS I SHERMAN H. GREED SANDOR OSIMMA BY jvvww W ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1964 s. H. CREED ETAL FRUIT SPLITTING MACHINE 1'7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Nov. 30, 1956 INVENTORS SHERMAN H. CREEID SANDOR CSIMMA BY MW 6% fiffi w ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1964 S. H. CREED ETALI FRUIT SPLITTING MACHINE l7 Sheets-ShaeV 4 Original Filed Nov. 50, 1956 G mi HIP INVENTORS SHERMAN H. CREED SANDOR CSIMMA BY W ATT'ORNEY Aug. 11, 1964 s. H. CREED ETAL FRUIT SPLITTING MACHINE 17 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Nov. 50, 1956 INVENTORS SHERMAN H. CREED swoon GSIMMA BY M /g r77w'-M ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1964 s. H. CREED ETAL 3,144,061

FRUIT SPLITTING MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 30, 1956 17 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS SHERMAN H. CREED SANDOR CSIMMA ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1964 s. H. CREED ETAL FRUIT SPLITTING MACHINE 17 Sheets-Sheet 7 Original Filed Nov. 30, 1956 INVENTORS SHERMAN H. CREED SANDOR CS1 MMA BY )gKA/w ATTORNEY g- 1964 s. l-l CREED ETAL 3,144,061

FRUIT SFLITTING MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 30, 1956 17 Sheets-Sheet 9 TII3 El INVENTORS SHERMAN H. GREED SANDOR CSIMMA ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1964 s. H. CREED ETAL FRUIT SPLITTING MACHINE l7 Sheets-Sheet 10 Original Filed Nov. 30, 1956 INVENTORS SHERMAN H. CREED SANDOR C5|MMA ATTORNEY S.H.CREED ETAL FRUIT SPLITTING MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 30, 1956 Aug. 11, 1964 17 Sheets-Sheet ll W NP ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1964 s. H. CREED ETAL FRUIT SPLITTING MACHINE l7 Sheets-Sheet 12 Original Filed Nov. 30, 1956 F I I2: 1 IE:

I244- lO 5 ISO ill 6 w HZ INVENTORS SHERMAN H. CREED SANDOR CSIMMA BY M .1 W

ATTORNEY 11, 1954 s. H. CREED ETAL 3,144,061

FRUIT SPLITTING MACHINE l7 Sheets-Sheet 13 Original Filed Nov. 30, 1956 Tll3 1 moo lllo H27 Hi4 IIIZ Hi8 HIS lll6 I063 I068 H95 I045 H96 H35 l 9 IO IO |07| I080 IIOI INVENTOIRS SHERMAN H. CREED SANDOR CSIMMA ATTORNEY 11, 1964 s. H. CREED ETAL 3,144,061

FRUIT SPLITTING MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 50,- 1956 17 Sheets-Sheet 16 INVENTORS SHERMAN l-LOREED SANDOR GSIMMA BY MM %1 ,-.Z.J.

ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1964 s. H. CREED ETAL FRUIT SPLITTING MACHINE 17 Sheets-Sheet 17 Original Filed Nov. 30, 1956 r 1 I l ll INVENTORS SHERMMAN H. GREED mOnZ ATTORNEY United States Patent Oflice 3,l4l4,%l Patented Aug. 11, 1964 3,144,061 FRUIT SPLITTIN G MACHINE Sherman H. Creed, San Jose, and tiandor Csimma, Sunnyvale, Calitl, assignors to FMC Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Original application Nov. 30, 1956, Ser. No. 625,368, now Patent No. 2,979,893, dated Apr. 11, 1961. Divided and this application Nov. 20, 1959, Ser. No. 854,334

16 Claims. (Cl. 146--72) This invention appertains to a fruit handling machine and more particularly relates to improved apparatus for splitting and coring fruit, such as pears.

This application is a division of copending application Serial No. 625,368, filed November 30, 1956, now Patent No. 2,979,093, which issued on April 11, 1961.

An object of the present invention is to provide an efficient mechanism for splitting fruit and holding the split sections while the fruit is cored and trimmed.

Another object is to provide an improved mechanism for applying pressure to clamping members in which fruit is held during processing.

Another object is to provide an improved mechanism for coring a fruit and discharging the core material therefrom.

Another object is to provide an improved fruit splitting, coring and trimming head for a fruit preparation machine.

Another object is to provide an improved coring mechanism for a fruit preparation machine.

Another object is to provide an improved fruit splitting mechanism.

Another object is to provide a fruit preparation machine having means whereby a fruit splitting device may be selectively connected into the operating mechanism or disconnected therefrom.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of the fruit preparation machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the machine of FIG. 1, certain parts being broken away.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of the operating mechanism of the machine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view, with parts in section, of the splitting, coring and stemming turret of the present machine with portions of the main turret shown in section.

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical section taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged front elevation of a splitting, coring and stemming unit used in the turret of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a horizontal section taken on line 9--9 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on line 1010 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 11-11 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a horizontal section taken on line 1212 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 13 is a horizontal section. taken on line 1313 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 14-14 of FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a horizontal section taken on line 15--15 of FIG. 6 particularly showing the control cam plate used with the stemming and coring mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of the splitting, coring and trimming head of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a vertical section taken on line 1717 of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is an end elevation of the head of FIG. 16.

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 1919 of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 202tl of FIG. 18.

FIG. 21 is a vertical section taken on line 21--21 of FIG. 18.

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary elevation taken looking in the direction of arrows 2222 of FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is a perspective of the head of FIG. 16.

FIG. 24 is a plan view, with parts in section of the sup port structure along which the head of FIG. 16 is moved, particularly showing the cam mechanism.

FIG. 25 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 25--25 of FIG. 24.

The rotary pear processing machine of which the split ting, coring and discharging mechanism of the present invention is a part, is indicated generally in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 by the reference numeral 64 and comprises a pear feed mechanism 65, a rotary main turret 66 which carries a plurality of peeling, coring and stem-end trimming units 67, and a discharge turret 68 which receives each peeled, cored and trimmed pear from the main turret 66 and performs successive splitting, seed-cell removing, and blossom-end trimming operations prior to depositing the two halves of the pear on a discharge chute 69.

Pears are individually fed by hand, stem end down, into feed cups 70 which are mounted on an endless chain carrier 71 that moves the cups 70 in a circuitous path in the direction of the arrow A, FIG. 3. The feed cups 70 are arranged to move the pears from a feed station P where their stem-blossom axes are substantially vertical to an impaling station I where said axes are horizontally disposed. At the impaling station I of the main turret 66, one of several stemming or impaling tubes 72 is moved radially outward of the turret 66 and impales one of the pears at its blossom-end and along its stem-blossom axis. While supported on the stemming tube 72, the stem and a portion of the seed cell of the pear are removed, the pear is peeled by one of several peeling mechanisms 74, and the stem-end of the pear is severed from the body of the pear by a cutting blade. The above referred to parts are described in detail in the previously mentioned parent application to which reference may be had for a description of the entire machine.

After the stem-end of the pear has been cut off, the pear is transferred by a cam actuated butt stop 75 (FIG. 6) to a splitting and coring head 700 on the discharge turret 68 (FIG. 3). There are five heads 70%) (FIG. 5) on the turret 68 and they are arranged to travel in a generally circular path in timed relation to the stemming tubes of the processing units 67 on the main turret. The live splitting and coring heads 700 are identical and each head comprises a rigid metal housing 792 (FIGS. 6 and 7) which has a vertical front wall 704, a bottom wall 705, atop wall 706, and side walls 707. Two vertically spaced guide blocks 709 and 710 project outwardly from the front wall 704 to receive a shaft 711. A setscrew 712 and a transverse key 713 lock the shaft 711 to the housmg.

The heads 700 are mounted in a rigid frame 720 (FIGS. 1 and 6) consisting of a base plate 721 which is supported from the machine base by a rigid inclined bracket 722. The frame 720 has an upper cam ring 725 and a lower cam ring 726 mounted in fixed position relative to the 3 base plate 721 on spacer posts 728 and 729. A tubular hub 730 (FIG. 6) is secured, as by welding, in a central opening in the base plate 721. A central stationary shaft 735 is secured'by a setscrew 736to the hub 730. A lower cam plate 740, which is disposed in horizontal alignment with the lower carn ring 726, is secured by a setscrew 741 to the shaft 735. A plate 745 is bolted to the top of the stationary shaft 735 and a reel 750 is mounted for rotation in the stationary frame 720. The reel comprises a central tubular member 752 that is mounted for rotation in two spaced bushings 753 and 754 disposed around the stationary shaft 735. Identical star wheels 760 are bolted to the upper and lower ends of the central member 752. Each star wheel 760 (FIG. 4) has five arms 761 and each arm has a radial groove 762 at its outer end. The arms of the upper star wheel are disposed in vertical alignment with the arms of the lower star wheel.

A split hub 770' (FIG. 6) is clamped to the lower end of the shaft 711' of head 700, and a caster wheel 772, which is mounted for rotation on an arm 773 projecting from the hub 770, rolls along a circular track 774 on the base plate 721. Three rollers 777, 778 and 779 are mounted for rotation on the lower end of each shaft 711 between a set collar 780 and the split hub 770. A guide wheel 775 is rotatably mounted on the rearward, trailing end of each of the caster arms 773. Since eacharm 773 is keyed to one of the shafts 711 of ahead 780, a guide wheel 775 will determine the orientation of the head as it travels around the discharge turret. To assure that the head is moving in a path normal to the stemming tube at the time-that the pear is transferred onto the splitting blade and to keep the head facing in a generally outwardly direction at all other times, the several guide wheels 775 and the rollers 777, are disposed in a cam track 776 (FIGS. 5 and 6) defined between the lower cam ring 726 and the lower cam plate 740. Near'the upper end of each shaft 711, three rollers 782, 783 and 784 are mounted for rotation on the shaft between a set collar 786 and the lower guide block 710. A continuously driven main turret sprocket ring 77 (FIGS. 4 and 6) engages the roller 778 (FIG. 6) of each shaft 711. Similarly, a main turret sprocket ring 78 (FIGS. 3 and 6) engages the roller 782 (FIG. 6) on each shaft 711. Thus, the shaft 711 of each head 700 is engaged by both sprocket rings, and the reel 750 is rotated about the stationary shaft 735. It is to be noted that the sprocket rings of the main turret drivingly engage only one unit. This driven unit drives the star wheels which in turn drive the other units around the turret in spaced relation.

Each head 700 (FIGS. 5 and 8) has a pair of upper jaws or clamping pads 800 that are pivotally mounted at the upper end of curved arms 801. The arms 881 are keyed to shafts 802 which are journalled for rotation in the front wall of the housing 702. The pads 800 have outwardly curved leading end portions 800a (FIG. 5) which facilitate the insertion of a pear between the jaws. A spring 805 is connected between the arms of the upper jaws 800 to urge the jaws toward each other. Mounted directly below the upper jaws, and cooperating therewith to define a pear receiving chamber, is a pair of outwardly curved pads or lower jaws 818 which are pivotally mounted on curved arms 811 that are keyed to shafts 812 journalled in the forward wall 704. The lower jaws are connected together and urged toward each other by a spring 815. In their innermost position, the four pads bear against a pear splitting blade 820' that has an upper marginal edge tightly held in a slot 821 in a rod 822 that is secured to a vertical support wall 830 (FIG. 7) which is bolted to and extends upwardly from the rearmost portion of the upper wall 706 of the housing 702. The blade 820 is bolted at its lower forward end to a vertical flange 831 (FIG. 8) that projects forwardly from the housing 702. It is to be noted that the splitting blade 820 is disposed in the same plane as the fins 79 (FIG. 6) of, the stemming tube 72 on the main turret. Accordingly,

4 the cut made by the blade coincides with the cut made by the fins.

Throughout its length the blade is provided with a tubular portion 833 (FIG. 7) with a tapered forward end 833a which projects a short distance forwardly of a vertical cutting edge 835 and also having a rear end which projects a somewhat greater distance rearwardly of the rear edge of the blade to be received and locked in an opening 836 in the vertical support wall 830. A gear 837 is mounted for rotation on the rearmost end of the tubular portion 833 and is held thereon by a strap 838. Near its forward end, the blade 820 has an opening 848 in which a coring and trimming device 841 is mounted. This device comprises a tubular member 843 from which two diametrically opposed wire-lik cutters 844, 844a, and opposed cutters 845 and 845a project outwardly in a radial direction. These cutters have a width that is equal to or less than the thickness of the portion of the blade 828 that is adjacent the opening 848. Accordingly, when the cutters are positioned in the vertical plane of the splitting blade 820, they do not interfere with the movement of the pear onto the blade. The forward cutters 845 and 84501 are formed so that, when the tubular member 843 is rotated approximately 180 degrees, they will cut a frustoconical portion from the blossom-end of the split pear. Similarly, the rearward cutters 844 and 84411 are designed so that they will sever the seed cell of the split pear. When the shaft is rotated approximately 90 degrees the cutters 844 and 844a are disposed laterally from the plane of the splitting blade and provide a cage-like structure adapted to hold the seed cell in the aperture 840 of the splitting blade. It will be understood that the cutters 844, 844a, 845 and 845a have sharpened leading edges.

The tubular member 843 of the coring and trimming device 841 is rotated by means of a shaft 850 that is journalled for rotation throughout a major portion of its length in the tubular portion of the cutter blade. The shaft 850 also has a forward end portion 850a journalled in the tubular portion of the blade 828, a portion 850!) of square cross section disposed in driving engagement with the square bore of the tubular member 843 of the device 841, and a rearward portion 850a secured to the gear 837 by a setscrew 852. The gear 837 is in mesh with a gear segment 855 that is formed on the upper end of a bent arm856 which is secured by capscrews 857 (FIG. 9) to a pivot plate 858. The pivot plate 858 rests on the upper surface of a bearing member 859 (FIG. 7) and is keyed to a vertical shaft 860'. The shaft 860 is journalled for rotation in a tubular shaft 865 which in turn is rotatably journalled in the bearing member 859 and in a lower bearing member 866, fixed in the lower wall 705 of the housing. The shaft 860 is oscillated by means of a triangular arm 867 (FIG. 13) that is clamped on the lower end of the shaft 868. Two spaced rollers 868 and 869 are rotatably mounted on the underside of the triangular arm 867 and these rollers are arranged to'be actuated b'y cams, which will be described presently, so that the coring and trimming cutters may be rotated both clockwise and counterclockwise as seen in FIG. 8 at predetermined intervals during the processing of the pear. A spring 870 (FIG. 9) is connected between the bent arm 856 and the housing 702 and is arranged to pivot the arm 856 counterclockwise against a stop bar 871 which determines the position wherein the cutters 844, 844a, 845 and 845a are disposed in the plane of the splitting blade 820.

The jaws 800' and 810 are moved to open position by means of two rotary cams 875 and 876' (FIGS. 7 and 10) which are keyed to the tubular shaft 865. The cams 875 and 876 are identical and each cam has two diametrically opposed camming arms 877 and 878 (FIG. 10) which are arranged to engage rollers 880 (FIGS. 10 and 11); Each roller 880 is mounted for rotation on a pivot block 881 that is keyed on the rearmost end of one of the shafts 882 or 812 on which the jaws are mounted. When the shaft 865 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction (FIG. 10)

the camming arms 877 and 878 engage the associated rollers 888 and move them outwardly away from the center of the housing, causing the pivot blocks 881 to be pivoted (FIG. 11) and the shafts 882 and 812 to be rotated in the direction for opening the jaws.

The tubular shaft 865, to which the rotary cams 875 and 876 are keyed, is rotated in the counterclockwise, jawopening direction by a control lever 885 (FIGS. 7 and 13) which is formed integrally on a lower end of the tubular shaft 865 or is welded thereon. The lever 885 has two spaced rollers 887 and 888 mounted for rotation thereon, and has a latch plate 890 adjustably secured to the lower surface of the lever by a bolt 891 (FIG. 13) that extends through a slot 892 in the plate 898. The latch plate 890 is rotatably mounted on the extreme lower end of the tubular shaft 865, as seen in FIG. 7, and has two teeth 893 and 894 (FIG. 13) formed on one edge. A latching lever 895 is pivotally mounted on the lower wall 785 (shownin phantom lines in FIG. 13) of the housing 782 by a bolt 896. A spring 898 is connected between one end of the latching lever 895 and the housing 782 and urges the lever 895 in a clockwise direction to move a tooth 899 on the lever 895 into position behind one of the teeth 893 and 894 on the latching plate 898 to prevent clockwise pivoting of the control lever 885.

The tubular jaw control shaft 865 is urged in a clockwise, jaw-closing direction by a plurality of torsion springs 988 (FIG. 7), each of which encircles the shaft 865 and has one end 981 hooked around a long screw 982 that extends vertically through the housing 782. The other end ofeach spring 988 is secured by a screw 983 to the face of a ring 918 (FIG. 12) that has a pressed-in bushing 911 rotatable on the shaft 865. As each ring 918 is urged in a clockwise direction (FIG. 12) by the associated torsion spring 980, a screw 912, which extends in a radial direction through the ring 910, engages an end wall 914 of an arcuate groove 915 cut in the shaft 865 opposite the ring. When the screw 912 abuts the end wall 914, the shaft 865 will be rotated with the ring 910.

It should be noted in FIG. 13 that, when the first tooth 893 of the latch plate 898 is engaged by the tooth 899 of the latching lever 895, the tubular jaw control shaft 865 is in a first angular position of adjustment wherein the jaws are wide open. When the tooth 899 is engaged behind the second tooth 894, the shaft 865 is in a second position which is disposed clockwise from the first position and which defines a second jaw position wherein the pivot blocks, on which the jaw pivot shafts are mounted, have been released by the cam rings 875 and 876 and the jaws are urged toward each other only by the urging of the two springs 885 and 815 (FIG. 8). This second position is the position of the jaws when the pear is pushed onto the splitting blade. Accordingly, the jaws will open and will accommodate their position to the size of the ear.

When the lever 885 has been pivoted clockwise from the position of FIG. 13 to a third position wherein the tooth 899 of the latching arm 895 is out of engagement with either of the teeth of the latch plate 898, wedge blocks 916 (FIGS. 12 and 14), which are carried on the wedge support rings 918, are moved by the urging of the torsion springs into wedging engagement between shelves 917 formed on the inner wall of the housing and the underside of the pivot block 881. As seen in FIG. 12, a wedge block 916 is secured by a screw 918 to the outer end of each of two diametrically opposite arms 919 of each wedge support ring 918. Thus, in the third position of angular adjustment of the tubular jaw control shaft 865, the loaded jaws are urged inwardly toward each other by the wedge blocks. As will be explained presently, the jaws are moved to this third position after a pear has been forced over the splitting blade and is ready to be cored and trimmed.

When the wedge blocks are resiliently urged into contact with the pivot blocks, the jaws are urged inwardly to grip the pear with a certain amount of load resulting from the impact of the wedges. This gripping of the pear is sufficient to hold the pear while the seed cell is cut out and the blossom-end is trimmed.

When the split pear has been cored and trimmed, the jaws are opened and the two halves of the pear are pushed away from the blade 828 by a pusher mechanism 928 (FIGS. 7 and 8) which comprises a hub 921 mounted for sliding movement on the bar 822 at the upper end of the head. A paddle 923 extends downwardly from the hub 921 on each side of the blade 828, and each paddle has an arcuate recess 925 adjacent the tubular portion 833 of the blade. A cam roller follower 927, which is mounted on the upper end of the hub, is arranged to ride in an overhead cam track 938 (FIGS. 2 and 6) defined by an inner plate 931 and an outer strap 932 which are secured together and supported in spaced relation above the stationary frame 728 (FIG. 6) by a vertical bracket 933. The cam track 938 is so designed that the pusher paddles 923 are moved radially outwardly to eject the cored and trimmed pear halves from their position adjacent the blade 828 at a point where the pear halves can fall into the discharge chute. After the pear halves are discharged, the pusher paddles are moved further outwardly to eject the seed cell from the cutters 844 and 84411, causing the seed cells to fall at a different part of the discharge chute.

The operation of the discharge turret 68 will be described in connection with FIG. 15 wherein the various cams that operate the mechanisms of each coring and trimming head 788 are shown. The operations of a coring head 788, as it travels around the shaft 735, are shown by the positions of the control levers 885, 867 and 895 of the coring head in positions indicated as P, P1, P2 and P3 in FIG. 15. After a pear has been pushed onto the splitting blade, the head 780 begins its movement in a counterclockwise direction around the axis of shaft 735. It is to be noted that at the time the pear is pushed onto the splitting blade, the main shaft 865 of the head is in the above-mentioned second angular position wherein only the springs 885 and 815 urge the clamping pads against the pear. In this position the tooth 899 on the latch lever 895 is engaged with the second tooth 894 of the control plate 898. Soon after leaving the pear splitting station, the latch lever 895 engages a cam 958 that is secured to the upper surface of the fixed plate 745. The latch lever is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction, disengaging the teeth, and permitting the control shaft 865 to be swung to the third angular position by the several torsion springs 988. In this position the clamping pads are loaded and locked by the wedging action of the wedge blocks.

After the clamping pads have been preloaded, the roller 869 of the triangular cutter control lever 867 is engaged by a cam 955 that has an inwardly extending surface 956 which swings the lever 867 clockwise to rotate the coring and trimming cutters 844, 844a, 845 and 845a through 180 degrees. In this manner, the seed cell is severed from the pear halves and the butt or calyx end is trimmed. As the head continues its movement the roller 869 engages an outwardly extending camrning surface 957, and the cutters are rotated degrees counterclockwise so that the cutters lock the seed cell and the calyx material in the blade. The roller 869 is then moved along a surface 958 that causes the cutters to be held in the 90 degree rotated position.

In order that the pear halves may be pushed away from the blade 828, the clamping pads 888 and 818 are moved to their open position by the engagement at position P1 of the roller 887 with a cam 960 which causes the shaft control lever 885 to be swung counterclockwise, permitting the tooth 899 of the latching lever 895 to engage the first tooth 893 to hold the clamping pads open. When the pads are opened, the roller 927 of the push off mechanism is urged radially outwardly by the 

1. IN A FRUIT PREPARATION MACHINE, A TURRET MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, AN IMPALING TUBE MOUNTED ON SAID TURRET AND PROJECTING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID IMPALING TUBE BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A PEAR IMPALED THEREON, A SPLITTING BLADE MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT ALONG A PREDETERMINED CURVED PATH AND ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE AXIS OF SAID IMPALING TUBE DURING A PORTION OF SAID MOVEMENT, DRIVE MEANS FOR MOVING SAID TURRET AND SAID SPLITTING BLADE IN TIMED RELATION, SAID DRIVE MEANS BEING ARRANGED TO BRING SAID SPLITTING BLADE CLOSELY ADJACENT THE FREE END OF SAID TUBE AND INTO ALIGNMENT WITH SAID IMPALING TUBE AT A PREDETERMINED POINT IN THEIR RESPECTIVE PATHS OF MOVEMENT, A PUSHER MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID TURRET AND HAVING A PORTION MOVABLE ALONG SAID IMPALING TUBE UPON ACTUATION OF SAID PUSHER MEMBER TO ENGAGE THE PEAR ON SAID TUBE AND MOVE IT TOWARD THE FREE END OF SAID TUBE AND ACROSS SAID SPLITTING BLADE WHEN SAID TUBE AND BLADE ARE IN ALIGNED RELATION, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID TURRET AND CONNECTED TO SAID PUSHER MEMBER TO ACTUATE SAID PUSHER MEMBER WHEN SAID BLADE AND TUBE ARE IN ALIGNED RELATION. 